Metra CEO Orseno to retire by 2017's end

Metra Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer Don Orseno will retire in December, the commuter railroad announced late last week.

He was appointed to his current role on an interim basis in August 2013. The appointment was made permanent January 2014.

Orseno began his rail career in 1974 as a ticket collector on Chicago Rock Island & Pacific Railroad commuter trains. In 1984, he began working for Metra, where he held progressively responsible senior leadership positions, including a stint as Metra's deputy executive director and chief operating officer.

"Don's retirement is a major loss to Metra," said Chairman Norman Carlson in a press release. "He has a nationwide reputation as an outstanding commuter railroad executive who is very well-respected within the railroad industry and by state legislators and members of Congress."

Orseno also is a member of the American Public Transportation Association's board and has served as chair of its commuter-rail committee and commuter-rail CEO subcommittee. In addition, he's past president of the Association of American Railroad Superintendents and the Chicago Railroad Superintendents Association.

Metra's board has formed a committee to launch a nationwide search for the agency's next executive director and CEO. The committee is composed of Vice Chairman Romayne Brown and directors Don De Graff and Jack Partelow.

The railroad's goal is to hire a new leader this fall to allow for a "seamless transition of leadership" by 2017's end, Metra officials said.